The movie “Doubt” is driven by its characters. The main four are Sister Aloysius, Father Flynn, Sister James, and Mrs. Miller. Donald Miller is also a part of the story, but we get to know these “top four” at a much deeper level.
- Do you identify with any of these four characters in particular? How so?
- Do you “like” any of the four better than the others? Why?
- What motivates each of the four?
- How does each character view the church? Is this late ‘60s picture of the church accurate? Does anything in the film resonate with your experience of the church today?
- What is the relationship among “doubt” and “faith” and “certainty?” How does each character express each of these traits?
- The film intentionally leaves a lot of ambiguity. How do you react to this? Is it important to figure out if Father Flynn is truly guilty? Why or why not?
- Were you surprised by the ending? What did the final scene leave you feeling?
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Hmmm. Dare I say I could relate to Father Flynn, simply because (even more in this day and age) as a male considering a pursuit of ministry, the power of accusation is of paramount concern to me. There appears to be a line across which the willingness of people to take the side of the accused is contingent upon the "severity" of the accusation. In other words, when the story is "good" enough, then doubting it begins to incite more guilt than believing it. Even as a church, we've unfortunately had past experiences with this phenomenon, and I think it is a powerful theme of this movie.
ReplyDeleteI tend to like Sister James. She seems so humble and innocent, but I honestly think she has everyone's card. I'm not sure she's convinced of Father Flynn's innocence, as he seems to think she is, but I do believe she's convinced of Father Flynn's pure desire to progress the church. I absolutely loved the scene where he tells her that it's OK to love. I feel like it was, in a way, permission giving to her - a genuine moment where she realized that, against all forces to the contrary, it was really, really OK to move forward and become something NOT so jaded as Sister Aloysius. And in the end, I have faith that Sister James continued in that path.
I believe Flynn is ultimately motivated by an overarching love for the church; James is ultimately motivated by a realization that the only real influence she is currently allowed to have is with her students; Aloysius is ultimately motivated by her very own but very underemphasized past experiences; and Mrs. Miller is ultimately motivated by her against-the-odds faith that it's possible for Donald to have a better life than her own.
It's an interesting dynamic, as all the characters appear to be, for better or worse, forced on board a train that's moving forward quickly and forward only. Even Aloysius, as symbolized by her confrontations with the wind, reluctantly admits to riding that train, or at least to chasing it.
But by the end of the movie, especially after the final scene where Aloysius breaks down, I'm left wondering whether Father Flynn finally gave up because of something he had recently done, or because he is scared that his career and reputation is (once again?) in jeopardy because someone like Aloysius, despite her doubts, will (once again?) literally "not stop."
I mean, what if Flynn was trying to protect both the children as well as the misdeeds of someone higher up, perhaps the Monsignor, instead of simply protecting himself? Think about it. It's just as believable and just as provable. It would make him guilty of something, nonetheless, but not of the crimes that Aloysius is so convinced he has committed. I don't think it's important that we know, but I think it's important that we consider. As omniscient watchers, we can't ignore the fact that Aloysius is on-the-hunt from the very beginning; once she targets her prey, she is unyielding.
To hop back on the "progress" train: given the circumstances and given what we can learn from Mrs. Miller, I'm beginning to wonder if ALL of the characters are not just victims of the reality that, at the time, Donald Miller was not a truly safe person to love, let alone befriend.
So, this was a very interesting movie. I guess I sort of identify with Sister James, because I tend to look for the good in others and find I don't want to believe that someone I know could do anything bad.
ReplyDeleteMy feelings about Sister Aloysius are that she has a lot of baggage she has never dealt with. One thing that stuck with me about her is the fact that she didn't become a nun until after her husband was killed in the war. Did she perhaps become a nun to escape from the grief and as a way to focus on something else? Is she so intent on trying to protect others from pain, that she is quick to assume the worst?
Father Flynn seems to be misunderstood, mostly. He is progressive. He's 'different'. I kind of like Kory's thought that perhaps he was trying to protect someone else and that's possibly all he is guilty of.
Mrs. Miller is mother like most mothers, who just wants her child to have things better than she has had. Doesn't every parent strive for that for their kids?
I also agree with Kory, that Donald Miller was not a 'safe' person to love or befriend. He was a gay, black, adolescent in the 1960's - how much more of an outcast could there be in that time period.
I will admit, also, that I did not like the fact that there was no resolution in this movie. We never did truly find out what happened in the rectory. I am a Show-Me kind of person, even though I didn't grow up here. I want to be told what happened, not being left to decide on my own.
The overarching commentary from this movie is the fact that rumors, assumptions, accusations, etc are very powerful things. They can bring down even the most powerful humans on earth. And we all need to be cautious about making such things before we KNOW the facts.
Joy Perry
To tell the truth, I enjoyed the vague, unresolved aspect of this movie. I don't like stories where everything is all wrapped up, nice and neat, with no loose ends. Leave a little bit to the imagination, I say! :)
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